‘She has a good heart...but only after dinner.’
EDITED BY MARK WAKEMAN
HTML coding by Robin Hall
Mark Wakeman, Benchpress Editor
Salutations to you all and may I be the first to wish you a Happy Christmas!!! (Unless you’ve been into any branch of Woolworths when they seem to have started wishing us a happy Christmas since August! I don’t know why they even bother to take the decorations down sometimes, just a change of blue tack and then up they go again for the next year!)
We, the Bench, ever knowing how to party have already had our Christmas Club Night, which was full of merry making and my groundbreaking rendition as the Angel Gabriel for which I’ve won more critical acclaim then any of the productions I’ve ever been in!!! Maybe I should be worried.
Also, as I sit and type this the first auditions for Wyrd Sisters have been held and there is another one to go. We have had a large response which is good as there are thirty eight speaking parts and I’ve also had offers for Stage Management, Lighting design and - to sit in the lighting box so it all looks like its going to go swimmingly. You will be able to judge for yourself the next time you see me on the streets if I’m muttering to myself and tearing my hair out….then you know everything is going well!
As for the rest of this Benchpress, well John Scadding had responded to my pleas and has sent in an article about his forthcoming production which follows Wyrd Sisters ‘Hollywood Play’ so I shall hand over to John and he can tell you exactly what he has in store for us.
Oh and Happy New Year as well!
BUT ALIEN…….I would also like to take the chance to thank David Penrose on behalf of the Bench for his latest production Caucasian Chalk Circle (of which I was a humble cast member). I think everyone will agree with me it was a challenging play to be a part of and a lot of hard work was put in by those both on stage and backstage but the lovely responses we have had from the audiences (Including some very nice letters from backbenchers) made it all worthwhile. So well done David and his cast and crew.
Also thank you to those members of the audience who took the time to write in and tell us what they thought of the production. Especially Back Benchers, the company is always pleased and interested to hear your points of view on our productions both in the past and forthcoming so please feel free to write to us here at the Benchpress and express your views. (How’s that, managed to get in a shameless plug for articles as well!!!)
| DATE | EVENT |
|---|---|
| Christmas Party (see below) | Sun Dec 23rd |
| January Club Night (Quiz) | Thurs Jan 3rd, 7:30 for 8pm |
| February Club Night | Thurs Feb 7th, 7:30 for 8pm |
| Auditions for Hollywood Play | Early Feb (tbc) |
| Wyrd Sisters Performances | Tuesday 26th Feb to Sat 2nd March 7:30 plus Saturday matinee |
| March Club Night | Thursday 7th March, 7:30 for 8pm |
Dear Fellow Benchies,
Thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to direct my "Hollywood Play". I am so pleased about it but of course more than a little nervous. My last Bench production some years ago was Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard" and I didn't do too well with that one. I handled the cast badly and we were not a happy little group by the last performance. I hope to be more skillful this time round and I am very lucky to have three minders to keep me on the right track, to calm me down when I get too uppity and to pick me up when I fall into the doldrums. They are Tim Taylor, Andrew Caple and Sam Emery and I can't ask for better than them now can I?
What I can promise to do is what all our directors aim to do and that is to give of my very best to help the cast and crew have a rich and happy time practicing this fascinating art form called Theatre. The art form, without being all arty-farty about it is very important to me. I think it consists of making patterns out of simulated truths which make the audience laugh at the recognition’s or cry with sympathy and they do it all the more so because the patterning helps them. So there!
Now as to the script. Even though it is my own, if you are interested you need have no fears about having a production imposed on you. I have deliberately not worked out how to play the parts or all the moves. I genuinely do not know how it ought to be done. I even thought of having no stage directions or punctuation marks in the script but I thought that might be going too far. But this does not mean that the script is sloppy. That it certainly is not! I have been polishing and rewriting it for at least five years but I have deliberately tried not to turn it into a shooting script because as an actor myself I like freedom to add my own findings and some plays don't need this and some directors don't want this. This play and this director does! So what I will have ready at the start of rehearsals is this -- a set designed and structurally okayed by my minders ready to receive character bits suggested by the cast right up to the last performance, all the main entrances and exits for the characters--but negotiable and a colour scheme for both set and costumes. All the rest we will hopefully make up together and if we get in a mess believe me I shall be ready to present options and offer choices. I am not advocating sloppiness and fling-it-togethery but a lot of group thinking and a final coming together under me me me!
Considering the area the play covers it is quite short and I reckon it will be only 90 minutes plus a 15-minute interval. This means we won't feel we have to rush it all to finish before the bar closes, which means we will be able to amble a bit.
This is something which will be new to me. I am notorious for making my production whip along. This time we will be giving the audience opportunities to lean forward and get to know the characters. The play is actually underwritten--even though there are a few quite long speeches-- so glances and pauses will be much in order.
Does this all sound a little bit soggy? Well it didn't ought to be because the play is about a group of characters earning their living and doing something that they actually love doing most of the time. They are in the movie business. In the first scene we see them planning a movie, in the second scene we see them actually making it in the film studios and in the last scene we see them watching it. The play is about people working and we watch them doing this. There is precious little sitting around musing on the meaning of life in it--not that they don't because they do—but not often.
So what is the play about? What is the theme? What are the main moments? Which bits would make the best photo shots? I honestly don't know. I have refused to work it out this time. In the past I always knew and stood there ready to tell the cast right at the start and then by the end of the production I found that the play or at least that particular production had revealed richer hidden meanings. So this time I am going to find out about the play with the cast as we do it.
I'm not playing dumb of course. Some strands are quite obvious straight away like the importance of work and that growing old is a bit of a problem but more than that we're going to find out when the script has legs!
Interested? I hope so. Auditions will be in early February once Mark's production is up and running. The dates and venue will be in the next newsletter after this one but anyone who wants more information about the show concerning acting parts--stars and absolute beginners welcome-- or the rich stage management and costume and sound effects sides or if you want to look at a script please contact me on : 023/92325279 (steam telephone.)
Below is the cast list which goes out with the script. Ages are negotiable. Doubling is just a suggestion. If there are people interested in playing small parts-- but nice I hope-- and then help out maybe backstage I'd much prefer that. I'd like to play one of the small parts myself but I think that might not be such a good idea-- we'll see.
Even though it's basically only one set which changes a bit it all seems huge huge huge! For those who don't know me I think I should explain that my early days as a director were spent doing Youth pantos and later the School Play so I always aim for the moon and then make do with satellites and rejoice at them!
Enough said I hope. Here’s to seeing some of you-- and the rest of you, prayers on our behalf sent to Saint Simon Stylites would be much appreciated—he being the saint of all people who get stuck in ridiculous positions and then can't get down again.
Best wishes to you all,
JOHN SCADDING.
Thanks for that John, here is the character list as promised...
5 Actresses – 7 parts
6 Actors – 8 parts.
Thank you to everyone who left his or her favourite memory of Chalk Circle after the December club night:
I wish I’d been in it!
- Simon Walton
But Alien – what more can I say?
- Mark Wakeman
A chance to perform alongside my parents and work with the Bench once more
- Zoe Corrigan
It’s not true that I made up all my lines!
- David Hill
I loved being on stage all the time! It was lovely to watch the play and see performances grow, but the best thing was not having the backstage fear of missing entrances and being able to stay ‘in’ it all the time. It was great fun – thanks David for a terrific time!
- Ingrid Corrigan
A fantastic team effort for the Bench. I haven’t had so many baths in a long time; where’s the soap? Happy Christmas.
- Paul Davies
Never before have I (a) played so many male characters, (b) acted with Peter Corrigan (who has a lot to answer for) (c) become obsessed with drawing a perfect circle or (d) been so drunk (and embarrassed) at an after-show party. Thankyou David!
- Robin Hall
Thank you also to the BackBenchers who kindly wrote to let us know which parts of the production you enjoyed the most. Our esteemed director David Penrose has been given your letters
In September the Bench took over running our own membership list. By and large this is going very smoothly but there have been some hiccups along the way.
Last month you should have received a new membership card which tells you when your membership will expire. You will be sent a renewal form with the Bench Press before this date. For the forgetful/disorganised/people who loose forms (like ourselves!) you will get another Bench Press after your membership has expired if you have not renewed. This will also include a membership form. Forms are also available (along with copies of the last Bench Press) at the Arts Centre, so if you have a friend who would like to join please feel free to pick one up.
If you have any queries please contact Paul Millington (see below for full details). We will try to resolve any problems as quickly as possible, but please bear with us as we do have other things to keep us busy. (Such as going to work every day, and the odd rehearsal!)
Wyrd Sisters should be a hugely popular play – the Discworld books regularly top the bestseller lists and appeal to adults and children alike. The auditions were very well attended and Mark now has the difficult task of choosing his cast from a pool of very talented actors. However people won’t come if they don’t know that the production is happening. We’d like to sell out for every performance and you can help !
Information in Bench Press goes stale ! - for up-to-date contact information please check the relevant page on our website.
For anyone who wasn’t present at the Chalk Circle aftershow party, or who wasn’t sure if I really meant it (OK so I was possibly under the influence of a couple of drinks) we are hosting a Bench Christmas gathering on SUNDAY 23RD DECEMBER starting at 2:30 in the afternoon. (Stay until you get fed up or we’ll probably throw the hangers-on out when we want to go to bed!)
We hope to reminisce about the year just passed, look forward to 2002, eat drink and play silly games. Everyone is very welcome, if you would like to come please let me know so I can give you directions etc. – Robin 023 92 423 452
Bench Theatre
Registered Charity No. 291935
Bench Theatre, PO Box 144, HAVANT, PO9 1XB